Nina Bandera of Quincy, a student at Fairfield University in Connecticut, thought she had the flu after she developed a fever, began aching all over and experiencing chills, but she never thought it was swine flu – even after the school made her go home to recuperate.

On Tuesday, the school infirmary notified her that she had, in fact, been sick with a mild case of the swine flu.

“I didn’t think I would ever come down with it,” Bandera said as she took a break from studying for final exams.

Bandera’s case of swine flu will be counted in the city where she is a legal resident, according to Jennifer Manley of the state Department of Public Health. The state does not confirm individual cases or where the people live.

Bandera had thought everyone “was making a big deal” of the swine flu, which she said turned out to be very much like the seasonal flu she had seven years ago.

But she also said she understands the precautions being taken – even why her mother wore a face mask at times, as public health officials advised. She said her mother drove down to Fairfield to bring her home.

“I think it was handled very well by all who were involved,” she said. “They were doing what they thought was necessary.”

Bandera became ill on April 26 and came home the next day.

When she returned to Fairfield on Monday, the school infirmary staff checked her lungs and vital signs and told her she was fine. The infirmary called Tuesday to let her know that her test results had arrived from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The test was positive for the swine flu virus.

They said I was fine now, that I wasn’t contagious.” Bandera has a lingering cough but said she felt fine otherwise.

The state Department of Public Health began doing its own swine flu testing on Monday and confirmed 28 cases on that day. Spokeswoman Jennifer Manley said the state lab staff in Jamaica Plain was working around the clock but extra help was not hired.

In Scituate, Diane Sargent, director of corporate relations for South Shore Elder Services in Braintree, was spending her second day working at home after returning Saturday night from a eight-day vacation in Mexico.

Sargent does not believe she came in contact with anyone with the swine flu and has no symptoms.

“When I came back, I was going to return to work in the office Monday, but human resources called and asked me to stay out a couple of days to make sure I wouldn’t bring anything in,” she said. “I think it was a very good decision, as we are working directly with seniors.”

Page 2 of 2 - The concern in her case was raised not because of where she had been as much as the fact she had been in several airports and flown back at the height of the outbreak.